In a strange and indescribable atmosphere, the first to move was the aide following behind the Duke.
A round pair of glasses, neatly tied auburn hair—he was the epitome of an intelligent, scholar-like young man.
“Allow me to assist you.”
“…I’m sorry, Yuan. This keeps happening.”
“It’s nothing.”
Without a flicker of emotion, the aide calmly helped tidy up the Duke’s appearance. Judging by the way he handled it, it seemed the Duke collapsing to the ground was a common enough occurrence.
The Duke awkwardly apologized to his daughter-in-law, who stood frozen in shock.
“I’m so sorry. I must have startled you.”
“N-no! It’s fine.”
She still couldn’t understand why her father-in-law had gone so far as to rush toward her the moment he saw her.
As if reading her thoughts, he lowered his gaze and muttered sheepishly.
“I was so excited waiting for you to arrive… I just couldn’t help myself.”
“……”
What is this, a puppy greeting its owner or something…?
‘Foxes may be part of the canine family, but aren’t they more cat-like in behavior?’
Stunned, she was still processing that thought when the Duke introduced himself.
“I’m Walter Elestine, your father-in-law. I can’t tell you how happy I am to welcome you into our family.”
“I’m Railey Vitence. I still have much to learn, but I look forward to getting along.”
For some reason, Walter’s mood visibly dropped the moment she introduced herself.
‘Huh? I didn’t mess up the formalities. Did I say something wrong?’
The aide standing beside her quietly offered an explanation.
“Although official registration into the family occurs after one comes of age, in public you are already considered a member of the Elestine household, my lady. From now on, please introduce yourself as Railey Elestine.”
“Oh… I see! I’ll be more careful.”
‘Wait, was he upset because I used my maiden name instead of Elestine?’
The more she got to know him, the more unexpected charm she found in her quirky father-in-law.
“Thank you for your generous understanding of my unsolicited advice, my lady.”
“No, not at all. Please feel free to speak freely with me anytime.”
“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Yuan Willrose, the Duke’s chief aide.”
‘Yuan…?’
The name sounded vaguely familiar. Railey received his greeting with proper courtesy.
In contrast to her scatterbrained father-in-law, Yuan exuded a completely professional aura.
“Yuan is very meticulous—unlike me. I rely on him a lot. As you can see, I’m a bit… all over the place.”
Railey couldn’t exactly disagree, so she simply smiled awkwardly.
“You must be pretty disappointed to find your father-in-law’s like this, right? I’m really sorry…”
“Oh, not at all! I used to fall down all the time when I was younger too.”
Of course, the man in front of her was a full-grown adult, and Railey’s own clumsy days were more than five years in the past.
Still, she wanted to comfort her father-in-law, who was clearly flustered.
“So, it’s not just me who’s like this?”
“No, of course not!”
“Whew, that’s a relief… If my daughter-in-law and I have something in common, maybe we’ll become close really quickly.”
Walter chuckled with a carefree smile, a complete contrast to his cold, imposing image. There wasn’t a trace of charisma in that grin.
“Oh! You can just call me Railey, by the way.”
“…Is calling you ‘daughter-in-law’ uncomfortable for you?”
Walter even mumbled, “I’d been looking forward to the day I could call you that…”
Who could bear to refuse him after hearing that?
‘Honestly, being called “daughter-in-law” at my age is a bit much, but…’
Railey just smiled brightly and nodded.
“I don’t mind. Please call me whatever feels natural to you, Duke.”
“Great…!”
Walter, beaming with happiness, sat across from Railey. (Though he nearly tripped again in the process and had to be steadied by Yuan.)
Watching her father-in-law carefully, Railey came to a conclusion.
‘No wonder the family gets destroyed ten years later… The head of the house is totally unreliable.’
Come to think of it, being part demon didn’t necessarily make someone evil.
These days, cliché subversions were all the rage—priests and temples were typically portrayed as corrupt, while the so-called villains were often the good guys in disguise.
‘Of course, maybe it’s just the father who’s like this and the son turns out to be a real piece of work. I shouldn’t let my guard down.’
Still, it was a relief for Railey that the Duke seemed less competent than she expected.
It suited her long-term plans.
With her childlike body, running away now wouldn’t accomplish anything.
If that was the case, wasn’t the best strategy to use her knowledge of the original story to make money while taking advantage of the Duke family’s solid foundation—then escape to another country when the time was right?
Railey, who had no special powers, had no way to stop the destruction of a doomed noble house. The most she could do was look out for herself.
Of course, she’d leave a few helpful hints about suspicious movements in the temple or imperial palace before making her exit—just to clear her conscience.
While Railey was lost in thought, Walter spoke gently.
“It must feel awkward living in such an unfamiliar place. Don’t worry about studying or house affairs for now. Just focus on settling in and making yourself comfortable, like it’s your own home. Take your time exploring the estate and relaxing.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“Think nothing of it. We’re family now, after all.”
Railey gave a vague smile.
To her, the word “family” didn’t exactly bring warm feelings.
The memories were hazy, but she vaguely remembered being an orphan in her previous life.
And in this life, she did have parents…
But honestly, it would’ve been better if she didn’t.
“F-Father… This Count you’re talking about… Isn’t he a grandfather-aged man?”
“Yes. He’s over sixty this year, I hear.”
“Then isn’t he a bit too old for me to—?”
“How dare you talk back! Someone like you should be grateful a nobleman of his standing is even willing to marry you!”
Her parents had seriously tried to sell her off to a man over sixty.
It was horrific.
Fortunately, before she could be handed off to that shameless old man, marriage talks had begun with the Elestine ducal family instead.
No doubt her parents saw this as an opportunity to latch onto the prestigious house and reap some benefits—they were probably already drooling at the thought.
That was exactly why Railey had no choice but to not break off the engagement.
If she returned to House Vitence now, they’d definitely try to sell her to that geezer Count for real this time.
“Thank you for your warm welcome. That said… while I’m staying at the duchy, is there anything I should be mindful of or keep in mind?”
“Hmm… nothing to worry about, really. But Serge and I do sometimes have to leave on urgent business. If there are times we disappear without notice, don’t be alarmed. Yuan will take care of you in our absence.”
As soon as she heard that, Railey guessed it was because the Duke and his son were transforming into their beast forms—foxes.
Of course, even if they continued to act carelessly, she had no intention of letting them know she was aware of their true identities.
So she nodded obediently, like a well-behaved daughter-in-law.
“I must’ve kept you too long, you’re probably still tired. Next, you’re supposed to go meet Serge, right?”
“Yes.”
“He’s a bit prickly, but I hope the two of you can get along.”
‘Prickly, huh? I guess unlike the Duke, the son does act the part of a half-demon.’
Either way, she intended to get along with the family until it was time to make her escape.
She was confident in her ability to deal with difficult or rude people.
She was tired of living a miserable life.
She had no intention of being swept up in another catastrophe and dying a pointless death.
She was determined to seize the happy future she’d never had before.
***
After Railey left the drawing room—
Duke Walter Elestine headed to his office with Yuan.
“What’s the status on the Core Ruby Mine?”
As he asked, Walter sank into the chair behind his desk.
Gone was the scatterbrained, bumbling demeanor. His golden eyes now radiated sharp intensity.
Yuan bowed respectfully.
“There are no major changes from the previous reports.”
“Inform me the moment anything new comes up.”
“Understood.”
After finishing their discussion on other official matters, Yuan hesitated before asking.
“…What are your impressions of the Young Madam, now that you’ve met her in person?”
